


Two Worlds

by mumblingmaria



Series: From Colliding Worlds [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: M/M, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 22:06:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8177836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumblingmaria/pseuds/mumblingmaria
Summary: Stuck with the dullest mission ever, Ezra finds himself a little lost on Tatooine before a local helps him out a little bit.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Luke/Ezra is where it's at. So I decided I wanted to contribute to the tiny collection of fic for them. This is set after Steps into Shadow and before The Holocrons of Fate. And look! I'm getting it out before the episode airs tonight so, there you go. One day I'll write a sequel where they find each other again, but who knows when that day will be. Enjoy.

The _Ghost_ rattled as it made its descent through the atmosphere. The crew was tucked into the cockpit of the ship as it made its way closer and closer to the sea of rock and sand. Ezra Bridger stood at the back of the cockpit, arms crossed and leaning against the door. He watched the rest of his team as they all mentally prepared for their mission.

Mission. It was hard for Ezra to not laugh at the thought of this being a mission for the rebellion. They had been given the task of retrieving some guy who _claimed_ to have vital information about the Hutts working in league with the Empire. So off to Tatooine for the lamest assignment. It was beneath their level, all of their levels. But he couldn’t help but feel like this was a personal slight against him. Sure, he had messed up but did Hera really have to rub salt into the wound by accepting this job?

After landing on the outskirts of a space port, Hera turned to look at all of them in the cockpit. “This is a simple mission. I don’t want to hear of any problems once we’ve started. No antagonizing the Empire, we need to get this guy out safely,” Hera said, shooting a quick look at Ezra and Zeb, the latter grinning and nudging Ezra's shoulder, before continuing, “His name is Neminla Acatha. He gave us three potential locations to find him in. We're going to split up in pair to track this guy down. Just in and out, nothing showy. No fighting.”

Ezra could feel that last part being directed at him, though he was staring at the floor. He glanced up at Hera but her eyes had already moved to their other fearless leader _. No, not leader anymore. Kanan wasn't fearless and certainly wasn't their leader anymore._

__

"If you’ve reached your location and Acatha isn’t there, come straight back here. I don't want us here any longer than we need to be,” Hera looked back at the rest of them as she said this. “Chopper is staying here to keep an eye on the comms while we're out there. Zeb and Sabine, you two are heading towards the shipyard. Kanan-“

__

Kanan stood up and grinned down at Ezra. “We’re heading to the shopping district.”

__

“Great,” he muttered and headed to the ladder down to the cargo hold, not waiting for Kanan. 

__

“Ezra, Kanan’s in charge. Listen to what he says,” Hera said as he grasped the ladder. He looked back and saluted, a tight smile on his face. Then he slid down and out of their sight. 

__

Kanan caught up with him at the exit ramp of the hold, the sound of Hera finishing up her talk reaching them. If Kanan was annoyed that Ezra pulled them from the end of the mission briefing, he couldn't tell. Ezra could never tell what Kanan was thinking now.

__

This was beneath them. They were meant to do greater missions, the Rebellion had to know that! They should be off saving civilizations from the Empire, bombing Imperial factories, liberating a prisoner at least! Something more daring than a pick up job! 

__

Ezra led the way out of the ship and looked back at Kanan. “So, where to?” 

__

Kanan handed him a raggedy poncho, a grin lighting up his masked face. “Put that on.” He eyed the clothing and noticed Kanan wearing it too. Great, a disguise for a five second job. Apparently it was a far more "dangerous" mission than Hera had let on. Ezra yanked the poncho from Kanan's hand. He shook his head before he gestured towards the far left side of the town with the now empty hand. “Come on, we go that way and then ask for directions.”

__

“Wow, this is really an amazing plan. I could really learn something from this,” Ezra muttered as he pulled the fabric over his head before walking in the gestured direction.

__

“Ezra…”

__

“No, I mean it, Kanan!” he answered hastily, glancing back. “It's a good plan. Don't draw attention, right? Might as well blend in with the rest of the tourists.”

__

Kanan frowned but nodded. Ezra turned back to the town. He could hear the rest of their team coming out from the _Ghost_ and picked up the pace. He trusted that Kanan would keep up. He had been hovering since Reklam Station. But Ezra knew that Kanan wasn't completely there for him yet. It was empty words and empty actions. If Kanan had actually wanted to reach out to him, he wouldn’t have disappeared. Kanan wouldn’t have left Ezra alone for months to figure out what he had done wrong. He would have let Ezra apologize. For Ahsoka, for everything. 

__

They soon reached the edge of the town and Kanan took the lead in finding the shopping “district”. Though, Ezra wasn’t really sure if this place was really big enough to have districts. Kanan nodded to their left and they continued on.

__

“Ezra,” Kanan said as they made their way further along. Ezra felt a hand rest on his shoulder, which he shrugged off immediately. With a sigh, he continued,“I know things aren't back to where they were yet. We both need time still. But you know you can come to me when-”

__

“Kanan, is now really the time?” Ezra cut him off, stopping and looking up at him. It was still off putting to see Kanan wearing that mask. He hadn’t seen Kanan without it on in a long time, Ezra wasn’t ready to. While he knew what the injury looked like, it was easier to pretend it was there than to be reminded of what he had caused. "I don't think Tatooine is the place for this heart to heart."

__

“I only meant that you can talk to me whenever you need to. Don’t feel like I’m not here for you,” he said. 

__

“Sounds good, Kanan,” Ezra answered, his hand tightening into fists at his sides. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

__

He turned away his master, his friend, his… He turned away and started on their path again. There really wasn’t anything to talk about at this point. Not when there was no way to fix it. He’d searched for months to find a way to reverse what he had done. Even the Sith holocron had claimed there was nothing he could do. Ezra was forced to accept that he caused Ahsoka’s death and Kanan’s blindness. They didn’t need to talk about that. They just needed to finish this mission and continue on like things were okay.

__

As they entered the shopping district, something began to tug at Ezra’s attention. He glanced around, unsure of what the feeling was or where it was coming from. Kanan hadn't noticed it, or wasn't bothered by it if he had. Ezra followed him through the growing crowd, not wanting to start anything. This feeling was probably unimportant and he wasn't going to put this mission at risk for a feeling. The hope that Hera would consider letting him back in command if this went according to plan and he proved he could follow orders was stronger than the pull he was feeling. He just needed to be trusted again. He just needed things to go smoothly. 

__

And then they turned a corner.

__

“Uh, Kanan?” Ezra said, stopping in his tracks. Kanan stopped and tilted is head towards him. “There’s a whole troop of stormtroopers up ahead. And since we've got strict orders to not fight…”

__

“We’ll just have to be extra careful,” he answered. He grabbed Ezra's elbow and stepped forward.

__

“Yeah, cause that always works,” Ezra muttered. They stopped at a vendor, Ezra looking at the food filling their stand. Then they continued down the street. 

__

They had just passed the group of troopers when they heard, “You two, stop!”

__

“Oh, great.”

__

The pair turned to see all the stormtroopers aiming their blasters. Ezra looked up at Kanan, wondering when they'd be allowed to fight back. Hera couldn't get mad if the stormtrooper punched first, right?

__

But instead, Kanan took off immediately, shouting for Ezra to follow. Ezra looked back at the stormtroopers and sighed. As much as he wanted to just fight them off, he wanted to impress Hera more. Even if the mission was a dud, he could still benefit from it a little at least. He turned and followed Kanan. They were both running now, trying to avoid stalls and people. Just another mission going south. 

__

“Watch it, kid!” 

__

The shout came from his right as Ezra bumped into a man who was just trying to have an uneventful day. Falling to the ground, Ezra tried to keep track of where Kanan was. Fear rose in him; what if Kanan got captured? What if he got hurt again, or worse? Ezra already got him hurt once, already couldn't stop him from getting captured once. He started to stand up when a blaster shot soared past the side of his face. He needed to decide what to do, and fast. Ezra scrambled to his feet and stumbled his way behind a stall. Crouching as he moved, he weaved through the stalls until got to an actual store. He ducked into the entrance, hoping these bucket heads weren’t any smarter than the norm. He could still hear shouting in the maze of vendors and buyers, but it seemed to be beginning to move away from him. 

__

Peeking out from his hiding spot, Ezra couldn’t tell at all where Kanan had disappeared to. Lifting his comm link to his mouth, he whispered, “Spectre One, come in. Kanan, where are you?” 

__

Static answered his question. For whatever reason, the comms weren’t working. Swearing under his breath, Ezra turned to looking at the shop he had ended up hiding in. There were droids, parts, and other miscellaneous items littered everywhere. Sighing, he began wander through the store. Might as well see if there was anything to bring back for Chopper while waiting for Kanan, or anyone from the crew, to contact him.

__

As he made his way through the chaos of the store Ezra drifted off into his thoughts, not really paying attention to what he was looking at or where he was going. It was walking into on of the customers that jerked him out of his thoughts.

__

“Ow!” they said in unison as Ezra collided with their back.

__

“Sorry,” Ezra muttered, eyeing the person as he rubbed the back of his shoulder. This boy had to be the same age as Ezra. He was blond with blue eyes and obviously spent time in the sun, though paler than Ezra. And there was something else about him… “I wasn’t paying attention.”

__

“Don't worry, it’s fine,” the stranger said. He reached a hand out. “I’m Luke.”

__

“Ezra.”

__

“Looking for some droid parts too, huh?” Luke asked, nodding to the piling of scraps they were next to. 

__

“Something like that. The droid on my ship is in need of a new personality, so might as well try and fix that, right?” he replied, shrugging slightly. 

__

“That’s droids for you, always messing something up. My family’s droids ruin mine constantly. They're always breaking down. Pieces of junk, like this planet,” Luke frowned as he spoke. 

__

“Yeah, it’s a pretty lame planet,” Ezra commented. He grinned at Luke before turning to leave. “Well, it was nice meeting you, but I really should get going now.” 

__

He quickly left the shop and tried to reach Kanan again. Static still filled that comm link. Frustrated, Ezra kicked a stone, almost hitting a nearby bird. He groaned and looked around the area. The stormtroopers had moved on, probably still in pursuit of Kanan. He couldn’t sense his master for whatever reason; it was as if something was fogging up the Force here. With no way to find anyone on the squad and no way to find this Acatha guy, it seemed like his only option left was to return to the _Ghost_. Besides, the wind was starting to pick up and Ezra didn’t feel like waiting around with sand getting everywhere. Just as he started to leave the street, a voice called to him from the shop. Turning, Ezra found Luke coming out.

__

“Where are you headed now?” Luke asked.

__

Ezra raised an eyebrow before answering, “Uh, back to my ship. It’s about a forty-minute walk or so from here.” 

__

Luke returned a raised eyebrow before gesturing to the air, “There’s a sandstorm coming. You’ll never make it back to your ship.”

__

“I'm sure I'll be fine,” he said, turning away again. He took one step before Luke pulled on his arm, stopping him.

__

“Trust me, you don't want to deal with the sandstorms here. I'm pretty lucky and even I wouldn't risk it," Luke said while shaking his head. "Do you have anywhere you could stay until it passes?”

__

Ezra shook his head. Folding his arms in front of him, he tried to figure a way out of this mess. Kanan would find somewhere to hide, but he also wouldn’t have gotten lost. Hera would have planned ahead in case of a possible storm and have a bunker to crash in. Zeb and Sabine would probably use the storm as a way to sneak up on the Empire. Ezra's option seemed like it was going to be to stand there and be buried in sand. Luke, interrupting his thought process, grabbed his arm again and tugged. 

__

“Come on, there’s a cantina nearby. We’ll wait it out there,” he said before leading the way down the street. 

__

Ezra trotted to catch up, falling in step beside him. They walked in silence; the wind was getting too strong to want to even attempt a conversation. They had to brush off more sand than Ezra had ever seen before once they were inside the cantina. Ezra couldn’t ignore the small amount of rebellious glee inside him. Kanan would never have taken him to a place like this. It just wasn’t Kanan’s scene at all. It wasn’t really anyone’s scene from the crew, other than when they used to pick up a job from Old Jho's. 

__

Luke ordered drinks for them (non-alcoholic for whatever boring reason this local had) as Ezra when in search of a table. The cantina was starting to get crowded as he sat down in a booth. He to be pulled off his poncho, shaking off somehow ever more sand on it to the floor. 

__

“Here,” Luke said quietly, passing the drink across the table. Ezra smiled as he accepted the drink.

__

He had to admit to himself that he was grateful for Luke's help. Not that he would have been stranded on his own, but getting to spend time with someone who wasn’t judging and critiquing everything he did was a breath of fresh air.

__

After they had had a couple sips from their drinks, Luke asked, “So, where are you from, Ezra? Clearly you've never been to Tatooine before, thinking you could handle that sandstorm out there.”

__

Ezra rolled his eyes at the comment and took another sip of his drink. “I’m from Lothal,” he answered, setting the cup down. “I’m traveling with my, uh, family. We were in the sector when our ship broke a bit and forced us to land here. We’re looking for a new ship part but I got separated from them.”

__

“Lothal… I don’t know if I’ve heard of that planet. It’s in the Outer Rim, too?” 

__

“Yeah. Opposite side though. I have to say, it’s nicer than here, for sure,” he said, grinning at the other teen. “But I guess there are parts where the weather can get pretty bad. At times.”

__

“Sounds nice,” Luke sighed. 

__

“It’s alright, there’s a heavy Imperial presence there right now… The planet has seen better days,” Ezra explained, watching as he slowly pushed his cup back and forth. “Everywhere has seen better days.”

__

“Have you seen a lot of worlds?” Luke asked, his eyes lighting up with his question. 

__

“I guess," he answered. "I have been to more planets than I ever thought I would." Ezra looked up and smiled as Luke leaned forward. Ezra couldn’t help but notice the way his blond hair brushed across his face. “It’s pretty amazing, I still remember the first time I realized I had left Lothal. It was probably the coolest thing I had ever done.”

__

Luke’s face was bright one second before a cloud seemed to pass over it. He slumped back in his seat and sighed. “I’m jealous. I wish I could get off this hunk of rock. But that’s easier said than done here.”

__

Ezra frowned. They sat in silence, Luke picking at the cushion of their booth. Ezra knew that feeling. All too well. Having grown up alone and on the streets, the stars were a distant idea. He had always thought that a street rat like him would be stuck on the ground trying to survive his whole life. And then the crew of the _Ghost_ came and spirited him off into the galaxy. It was everything he had wanted. They gave him everything he wanted. They had given him a life.

__

But.

__

“The galaxy is amazing, but I have to admit that there are times I wish I had never left Lothal,” Ezra said quietly, looking down into his drink.

__

“How? You’ve seen the galaxy! You’ve seen stars! You know what's out there!” Luke exclaimed. Some faces turned towards the excitable teen and Luke's cheeks started getting red before adding more quietly, “How could you say that?”

__

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved the life I have, seeing the galaxy. But…” he trailed off. He couldn't admit all the doubts he had swimming around his head, not this strange but kind boy. Especially not to himself. But there was something about Luke that brought Ezra some comfort. He just couldn’t place the feeling, but it drew him in. “But I sometimes wonder if my family would have been better off without me. I’ve made some mistakes lately, or at least I’m told they were mistakes. I’m not sure I can fix them and makes things better with my family again. I’m not sure I want to.

__

“My... um, my father has been trying to warn me that my actions could end up hurting a lot of people, and hurting the people I care about. He's worried I'll lose myself,” Ezra heard himself say. He couldn't look up as the words kept tumbling out. "But I was just trying to protect them. All I have ever wanted to do was protect people. People I love. But I failed. My father was right, my action got people I cared about hurt."

__

Luke sat silently, eyes intent on him. Ezra didn’t notice that as he had been speaking, Luke had inched closer to him in their booth. He finally looked up and asked, “If you have the chance to gain power and knowledge that could help the people you love, shouldn’t you take it?”

__

For what felt like a lifetime, the two boys sat and looked at each other with only the sounds of the cantina around them. Doubt creeped into Ezra’s mind. Had he said too much? It’s not like Luke knew who he was, he wasn’t worried about that. No, he was worried that he had revealed too much of himself. Not even Kanan knew these doubts that plagued him.

__

Ezra was about to say not worry or to not pay any mind to what he had just said when Luke sighed. Gulping, Ezra waited for a response.

__

“I really can’t tell you what do,” Luke finally said. He looked away as he continued, “I honestly can’t relate to your problem, nothing in my life has ever been _anything_. I guess that it’s all a matter of the risk of the situation. Is what you’re doing worth risking what you’ve got? You said you've already ended hurting those you care about, right? You have to weigh that risk and decide if this path it worth risking even more. If you aren’t guaranteed what you want to do will work, are you ready to risk what you’d lose?”

__

Luke looked back and smiled weakly. He placed a hand on Ezra’s arm for a brief moment. “That’s why I haven’t left. It would be so easy for me to just get on a starship and leave. I could go join the flight academy. I could travel and see the galaxy, see the stars. But my family is here and they need me. My aunt and uncle, they rely on me. I’m not willing to risk losing them. They’re all the family I have; they’re all I’ve known as my family. As long as they need me and as long as they’re here, I know I can’t leave.”

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“Luke…”

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“ _…scrzzzzt… Ezra? Ezra, can you hear me? Come in._ ”

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Both boys jumped in their seats from the sudden interruption. Ezra muttered an apology before lifting the comm to speak into it. “Yeah, I’m here.”

__

“ _That’s a relief. The comms went down because of that sandstorm,_ ” Kanan’s voice sounded calm, but Ezra could still hear that there was a tension in it. He ignored the brief moment of frustration, thinking that Kanan hadn’t had trusted him to make it through some sandstorm on his own (he also ignored the fact that he hadn't actually survived it alone). “ _It’s clearing up now. Come and find me in front of Orkin’s Mech Stop. Got it?_ ”

__

Ezra confirmed before leaning back in his seat. Rubbing his face, he let slip out, “I have no idea where that is.”

__

Luke chuckled. “Tourists,” he said gently before standing. “Come on, I’ll show you where that is. Orkin's will definitely have the ship piece you and your dad are look for.”

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“Right, the ship piece,” Ezra repeated as he followed Luke out of the booth. Grabbing his poncho and pulling it back over his head, he walked out after Luke.

__

Luke led him silently through the town, as Ezra tried to figure out what had just happened. It had taken so much of Ezra to finally confess to someone, let alone himself, what he was feeling. It still didn’t seem like he’d actually let those words out. It didn’t fix anything. Nothing seemed to be any different. Ezra still wanted the power he knew he could get from the Sith holocron that was now out of his grasp and he still hated himself for wanting it. Luke’s words didn’t give him the answer he needed. They just told him what he already knew—that there was a risk and that only he was to blame. They told him that he was on his own in this decision. 

__

It took Ezra walking into Luke’s back again for him to notice that they had arrived at the destination a square in the shopping district. Luke laughed as he turned and gently pushed him away. Ezra offered a smile in return and then looked around the area. He could see Kanan inside the doorway of a shop, his head turned towards where they stood. 

__

“Well, there’s who I’m looking for,” Ezra said, gesturing to the store.

__

“It might be that mask, but your dad looks nothing like you,” Luke said, grinning. 

__

Ezra forced a laughed out. “Yeah…”

__

“Well, it was nice meeting you. I’d say I’ll see you again, but if you’re lucky you’ll never wind up on this planet again,” Luke said, laughing at his own joke. 

__

Ezra joined in genuinely. He was going to miss Luke, even if they had only briefly crossed paths. He looked past his new friend to see Kanan making his way over. Luke gave a small wave good bye and was beginning to leave when Ezra grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

__

“Luke, thank you.”

__

Luke looked back at him, a puzzled look on his face. 

__

“For listening to me. I haven’t been able to open up to anyone in awhile… and just, thank you for listening to me,” he explained. 

__

With a smile, Luke reached out, placing a hand on Ezra's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Then, without saying anything else, Luke left. 

__

Ezra stood there, watching him disappear into the crowd. He waited for the feeling Luke gave him to disappear, though that seemed to linger long after Luke was gone. He didn’t say anything when Kanan came and stood next to him. They just stood there, silently but together, the twin suns in the sky beating down on them. 

__

Finally, Kanan reached over and touched Ezra’s shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts. 

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“Time to head back to the ship,” he said, smiling faintly.

__

“Right.” 

__

“Zeb and Sabine found Neminla Acatha. They got to him right before the storm started. They’re already on their way back to the _Ghost_ ,” Kanan explained, leading Ezra back to their ship, to their home. “We’re going to meet up with Hera a few blocks over.” 

__

“Sounds good.”

__

They walked silently together, Ezra glancing back every now and then. Ezra could feel an itch at the back of his head, as though the remnants of his time with Luke were clinging to him.

__

Finally, Kanan spoke again: “So, who was that?”

__

Ezra stopped and looked back at the square they had all just left. “I don’t know,” he answered. “We just met. But… there was something familiar about him. It’s still bugging me.”

__

Kanan hummed in acknowledgment and Ezra looked up at him. To his surprise, there was a smile on his face. Kanan reached to touch Ezra’s head quickly before turning his masked face away. “The Force works in mysterious ways, Ezra. It’ll let you know what your connection to that boy was when you’re ready. Come on, let’s go home.”

__

Ezra nodded and followed, stealing once last glance for the boy who wasn’t going to leave his thoughts for the foreseeable future. Not if he could help it.

__


End file.
